History of an Archmage
by Wolfsbane706
Summary: As Mima takes care of a young and untrained Marisa, she recalls how she came to be what she is: the Evil Spirit of Makai and Enemy of the Hakurei Line. Now a part of the Danmakuverse.
1. Chapter 1: Opening Scenes

_Mima examined the young red-haired girl sleeping on what was once her own bed. Ragged breathing, slightly blue lips and skin, uncontrolled shakes. She had all the signs of hypothermia. Normally, the "Evil" Spirit of Makai would have left her to die in the snow. This girl was interesting, though. Something about her reminded Mima of herself. The more she thought about it, the more she recalled her own history . . . ._

* * *

"Mima Altriseni! Get your sorry butt out of bed! You've been called before the Court of High Magic, and I'll be damned if you're late _again_!" The green-haired girl shifted in bed, reached out with one hand, and patted all along her desk, looking for something. "If you're looking for that wand you always blast me with, I've moved it. You're not getting out of this one!" The hand that was searching for the wand turned into a fist and quickly struck out at the source of the voice: an "alarm clock" familiar assigned to Mima so she could be bothered to make her appointments on time. The familiar's words seemed to have some kind of effect on the once-sleeping girl, though, as she quickly pushed herself up and opened her deep green eyes.

"The _Court_?! _They_ want _me_?!" She immediately threw the covers off and got out of bed. She went over the closet, sifted through various articles of clothing, and picked out her favorite blue robe, quickly donning it and doing up the clasps. "Why does the Court want to see me? I'm just a Rookie Mage, so why?"

The familiar Mima had punched floated over to her side. "You really think they're gonna tell me those kinds of details?," he countered. "All I know is that you've been called before the Court of High Magic. No ands, ifs, or buts."

Mima sighed and fished something out of her pocket. Another wand. "_Vernietigen_," she muttered swiftly, pointing at the familiar. She knew he'd survive. He always did, no matter what spell she used to get rid of him in the mornings. Today she'd chosen a Dutch destruction spell that worked wonders when making doors and getting rid of annoying familiars. She forgot who created it, but the spell-book she'd found it in held several more like it. Of course, those were all higher-tier spells that Mima didn't quite have the capacity for. Yet. She wondered if any of those spells had the capability to _permanently_ dispatch with the familiar that bothered her on a daily basis.

Disregarding that for the time being, Mima rushed out her door and up the street. The Court of High Magic, when they were actually present, gathered in a tower in the center of the township. They'd wasted no energy on making it impressive, and anyone who didn't know about this town's association with spellcasters assumed it was just there for decoration. Spellcasters and those associated with them, though, knew that the Court of High Magic used it, albeit rarely. Most spellcasters also knew that this town was simply one of many that the Court frequented. Nobody save for the Court themselves knew exactly where they each called home.

As Mima approached the tower, she began considering exactly what the Court wanted with her. It could be anything from her frequent tardiness when it came to appointments, her tendency to attack the familiar assigned to her, or even her unwillingness to "progress" past the Rank of Rookie Mage. Aside from the Rank of Mageling, the Rank of Rookie Mage was the lowest rank a spellcaster training under the supervision and protection of the Court could have. Mima had held that rank for almost a decade, having earned it on her twelfth birthday. The more she thought about it, the more she thought that was the Court's reason for calling for her.

* * *

Mima eyed each of the ten members of the Court in turn, wondering what could be hidden behind those eerie-looking helms. The resounding silence only made the situation eerier. Of course, considering the members of the Court were all sitting on raised chairs that befit their almost god-like abilities and positions, Mima really couldn't be blamed for thinking the whole situation creepy. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Mima heard one of the Court members speak. She couldn't see any movement from any of the Court members, nor could she tell exactly which one had spoken; at least she couldn't tell physically, as the voice seemed to come from every direction at once.

She felt a small mental nudge from the member directly to her right, though, as if that should tell her who the speaker was. _The Spellcrafter_. "Mima Altriseni. You have been called before the Court of High Magic in order to take your next Exam of Rank Advancement, as well as to discuss your future as a spellcaster." The voice was deep, rough, but cultured. Male, clearly. Far too deep to be female.

Another voice cut in, this one deeper and accompanied by a mental nudge from the one to her front-left. _The Warmaster_. "Come now, Stelzoch. Don't lie to the child." This voice was much smoother, almost as if it were water. Male, like the first voice, but also higher in tone "We all know her abilities, we all know the rules."

A third voice interrupted the Warmaster before he could say anything more, again accompanied by a mental nudge, this time from directly in front of her, albeit slightly offset to her left. _The Witch-Queen_. The title made it obvious that the speaker was female. "Azazel, Stelzoch. Control your impulses." This voice was cultured, lilting, soft, but at the same time, firm, commanding, and above all, in command, 100%. The two armored figures that had spoken before the Witch-Queen had seemingly shrunk, though the details of their armor were still clear as day. The Warmaster was militarian; sharp, clearly defined edges defined him. The Spellcrafter virtually the opposite; a 'caster's robe his main definition.

"With all honesty," Mima heard herself say. "I would like it if you got to the point." She pulled out her wand and held it at her side, fingers clenched around it.

"We have been watching you Mima Altriseni," claimed the Witch-Queen. "You've been at the Rookie Mage rank for almost a decade. Why?"

Mima searched for an answer. Why _had_ she remained a Rookie Mage since she'd achieved it on her 12th birthday? "Uhh," she began, hesitating and trying to buy time so she could come up with an excuse. "I'm a slow learner?" Laughter rang from all around her, and Mima had a difficult time keeping up with all the mental pushes.

When the laughter died down, the Witch-Queen spoke. "The Spellcrafter begs to differ. He's seen your skill. Not many can cast several different destruction spells in a row." Mima flinched as she remembered that day. She'd gotten quite angry at her familiar, and so had cast every destruction spell she knew on it, including _Vernietigen_ and _Distruge_. In the end, it had amounted to a total of eleven different destruction spells cast in rapid succession, followed even by a killing spell: _Homicidium_. When she thought about it, though, she really couldn't understand just _why_ a killing spell had been in her basics spellbook. Unless it wasn't actually from a basics book.

While she never had trouble remembering spells, she frequently forgot precisely which spell came from which book. Rather annoying when it came down to it.

The Witch-Queen's voice sounding again snapped Mima out of her flashback. "In any case, we of the Court have a task for you, Mima Altriseni. A task involving the once-proud realm of Makai."


	2. Chapter 2: Meeting With the Court

_"So tell me, child. What's your name?"_

_ "My name?"_

_ "Yes, your name. What you call yourself. The name your parents gave you during your birth."_

_ "Oh. Marisa Kirisame."_

_ "Well, then, miss Marisa. Would you like to learn magic?"_

* * *

"Excuse me, but did you say_ Makai_?!" Mima was shocked that her mission for the Court would send her there. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Makai one of the Seven Hells?"

A voice spoke up for the first time, complete with telepathic nudge from behind her: the Astral Knight. "There will be no need for correction. Makai is, indeed, the Sixth Hell." Mima turned to face the new speaker and mentally recounted the Seven Hells. There was the first Hell, the only one actually on a physical plane. As humans had advanced their technology enough to dig deep underground, this particular Hell had been shut down and moved. However, because of the high quality of management that had been present there, it was allowed to retain its title as the First Hell. The Second through Fifth Hells were actually of little import. They were underworlds or similar that belonged to various cultures.

The Sixth Hell, Makai, was actually an artificial Hell, created by the fallen Sorceress Shinki. Rumor had it that Shinki was once one of the ten Court Mages herself. Her abilities certainly came close to those of the Court Mages. She didn't keep in contact with the rest of the multiverse very often, but when she had something to say, things tended to stop and listen. Creating a realm, much less a full-blown entire Hell full of Dæmons tended to have that kind of effect. Mima was interested in meeting this Shinki. Maybe she could learn a trick or two. "So why would the mistress of the Sixth Hell contact the Court?"

"She didn't contact the Court," spoke another new voice. This time, though, there was no mental nudge and Mima was able to discern where it was coming from: the entrance to the Court chamber. "She contacted me." The woman (It was nearly impossible to mistake her for anything_ but_ a woman, even with the plaid red vest and pants she wore) walked into the central chamber slowly, as if she were stronger than the Court Mages altogether. Over her left shoulder she spun a pink parasol slowly and halted that action when she was about five feet away from Mima. "I must say, when Ophelia told me she was bringing in a mage, she didn't tell me the mage would be quite the beautiful specimen." While she was speaking, the woman gently inched her face closer to Mima's and reached her hand up to caress Mima's face just as gently.

Unnerved, Mima spoke up and backed away. "Who are you, exactly? You're on first-name terms with a Court Mage. Nobody can admit to that."

The woman responded with a light chuckle, opting not to follow Mima. "Why, it seems I've forgotten to introduce myself!" she exclaimed lightly. "Yuuka Kazami, at your service. Flower Mistress of the Four Seasons and Lady of the Dream Realm." She waited a moment to let her introduction sink in. "Now, I believe you were discussing something with Matràen before I so rudely interrupted, were you not?" Before Mima could interject, Yuuka spoke again. "I'll allow you to continue, if you please."

Mima simply opened and closed her mouth, extremely unsettled by the Flower Mistress. Finally, she found her voice again, thankful that the Court had allowed her that moment. "Should I accept the mission, what will be my reward?"

A single voice spoke from the highest throne of them all:_ The Witch-King_. "Your reward will be advancement to the rank of Archmage."

Mima very nearly fainted at that revelation. "From Rookie Mage to Archmage over a single mission? Forgive me, Lords and Ladies of the Court, but that's_ beyond_ insane! Nobody's going to accept that I've passed all of the Advancement Tests in the span of a single mission!"

"You would accept such a change in rank, would you not?" The same speaker as before. Mima could feel the authority in the voice, but that's not what surprised her. The question itself handled that quite nicely. "If so, then there are no problems."

Mima opened her mouth and closed it in astonishment, repeating this process several times before concluding with "I accept the mission." She turned around to make her way from the Tower, but stopped before she was halfway out. "I do have one request: I'd like that Lady Yuuka Kazami come on the mission with me."

Yuuka, who had been on her way out the door herself, paused and turned to face Mima. "Quite the bold request. You should know, though, before I give you my answer: I don't answer to the Court." Even as she explained her position to Mima, she still had that unsettling smile on her face. "But, since you were bold enough to request my services, I suppose I'll come along." Yuuka turned around and continued out the door. "Besides, it's not everyday I get to work with a child as beautiful as yourself," she said as she exited the Court chamber.

* * *

Back in her room, Mima was preparing for her mission to Makai. "That destruction spell hurt, ya know," came the comment from her Alarm Clock Familiar.

"Then shut up, or I'll blast you again," was Mima's response. "I've taken a mission directly from the Court and I don't want to go into this unprepared. Your incessant and unnecessary commentary is distracting."

"Feh. Like that's any different than usual," retorted the Familiar as Mima stuffed various spellbooks into a travel sack. "You'll blast me anyways when you leave, so why should I listen to a threat like that one?"

Mima finished loading up spellbooks and started hunting down various wands to bring along for the mission. "Regardless, getting blasted once is better than getting blasted twice, is it not?"

Undeniable logic, but the Familiar kept talking anyways. "Say, why do you have all those wands? With the spells you know, you shouldn't need half as many."

"Different wands have different strengths and weaknesses," Mima explained as she gathered up said wands. "For example, oak wands aren't very suitable for casting Destruction spells like _Vernietigen._" She quickly swiped a wand as she finished her explanation, using it to cast the spell she had mentioned on the familiar. Smugly, she added "While metallic wands such as this silver one work wonders with destruction spells." With that said, she put the wand in the sack with the rest and went outside, where Yuuka was waiting for her.

"I take it you're ready?" The way the Lady of the Dream Realms was leaning on her closed parasol reminded Mima of a gentleman, or a showman, what with one hand on the handle and the other on her hip. What caught the soon-to-be Archmage's eye, though, was the bundle leaning on the wall behind Yuuka. She wondered what it was,but it wasn't too important.

"Yes, I'm ready," Mima acknowledged.

"Good." Yuuka stood upright and opened her parasol, setting it on her shoulder with a twirl. "By the way, I brought something for you."She gestured to the bundle behind her. You can leave all those wands at home"

Mima dropped her sack on the ground and frowned. "What's in the bundle?"

Yuuka's only response was "You'll see." Grumbling, Mima walked past Yuuka to the bundle, picked it up, and unwrapped whatever happened to be inside it. Inside the bundle was a long obsidian staff topped by a gold crescent moon. "If you're going to be a proper Archmage," Yuuka commented when Mima found herself awestruck. "You should at least have a staff befitting one. It's made from obsidian, so it should prove useful for whatever spells you might wish to cast."

Mima nodded."Thank you, Lady Yuuka," she said finally.

"Now, shall we get going?"


	3. Chapter 3: Makai

_"__Madame __Mima__?"_

_ "__What __is __it__, __Marisa__?"_

_ "__Are __you __sure __this __is __gonna __work__? __Learning __magic __from __a __ghost__, __I __mean__."_

_ "__Ahaha__. __Ahh__, __yes__, __I __do __believe __it __will__. __I __was __an __Archmage __by __my __twenty__-__first __birthday__. __I __think __I__'__m __more __than __capable __of __teaching __a __magically __inept __human __magic__."_

_ "__If __you __say __so__, __Madam __Mima__."_

* * *

"For the last time, I will _not_ let you into Makai!"

Mima sighed while Yuuka simply watched the altercation between her and the Makai gatekeeper in silent amusement. "Listen, Liza-"

"Louise. My _name_ is _Louise__._"

"Yes, yes, I heard you the first time, Liza. But maybe _you_ didn't hear _me_. I'm here on a mission assigned from the Court of High Magic itself. As such, I need to speak with the fallen Sorceress Shinki."

"Lady Shinki doesn't take visitors! And even if she did, I still wouldn't let you in without knowing _why_ you want to talk to Lady Shinki!"

"The Court of High Magic sent us. That should be reason enough."

"And so it is." replied a third voice from behind Louise. "Louise, why don't you take a break and have Sara take over? I'll take them to Lady Shinki." The owner of the voice was a striking blonde in a red maid's outfit. Her voice, a moderate alto, reminded Mima very much of Yuuka, surprisingly enough.

Louise ducked away to a small hut near the gate. "Yes, Miss Yumeko," was all she said.

Yumeko nodded with a slight smirk on her face. "Now then, shall we get going? Mima Altriseni, Yuuka Kazami, Pandemonium Castle awaits."

Mima was slightly shocked, but Yuuka simply copied the smirk Yumeko had adopted and followed. "If you're wondering how the red maid knows our names, she probably learned them from her mistress, who probably learned them from the Court," Yuuka explained as the three walked through a ruined city. "It's rather intriguing, if I do say so myself. A woman like me shouldn't need an introduction."

"Are you that famous?" Mima asked, curious. She had only met the green-haired woman earlier that day, but apparently, she was more well known than the soon-to-be Archmage had initially thought.

"Not so much famous as I am simply well-known," Yuuka clarified. "In some places, I'm known as the 'Flower _Master_ of Four Seasons' because of my capabilities and general mastery over flowers. Quite honestly, I prefer to be called the 'Flower Mistress of the Four Seasons'. I don't just control the flowers, I _rule_ over them."

Mima, personally, found that to be rather boastful. Then again, she hadn't seen Yuuka's capabilities yet. She couldn't judge whether or not Yuuka was boasting or not until she'd seen the woman in combat. And so, in the end, she simply said nothing. She didn't have to, though, as they'd arrived at their intended destination. "Lady Shinki awaits you in the throne room," Yumeko declared, stepping off to the side. "I will wait here to lead you back to the Gate."

"Thank you, little Miss Yumeko," Yuuka said, smiling. Yumeko showed no emotion other than a faint blush spreading across her cheeks. Both Yuuka and Mima made their way into the castle's antechamber. Yuuka was using her parasol as a cane, while Mima was walking with her new staff resting on her shoulder. When they got to the throne room door, Yuuka stopped, placing her parasol in Mima's path.

"Now, before we go in, you should learn how to present yourself," she said, returning her parasol to its original cane-like position. "Stop slouching." Mima straightened.

"Your hat should not be resting on your brow, it should be resting on your head." Mima adjusted her hat, pushing it back until it was pointing up and back.

"And finally, you should be holding your staff at your side, like a walking stick, not resting it on your shoulder like a mercenary and his sword." Mima lifted her staff from her shoulder and planted the end firmly on the ground. "Much better. We can go in, now. You first, as you're the Court's representative."

Mima nodded and pushed open the door with her free hand before walking in. It was difficult not to gasp at the sight of what lay before her. Shinki's throne room was vast! There was no other word for it, especially when also considering the height of Shinki's throne itself. The red-robed, red-shawled woman sat in a throne that almost reached the ceiling of the massive chamber. She wasn't the only one on that side of the room, however. The throne was flanked by what appeared to be two Witches. The Witch on Shinki's left wore a black and white fedora, a black body-length vest, and a black dress, while the Witch on Shinki's right wore an elegant white ballroom gown with a white bow in her blue hair, a red bow on her chest, and a white bow on the back of her dress. "Welcome to Makai," the fallen Sorceress greeted from her throne.

Mima approached Shinki's throne, stopping roughly six feet away from the former Court Mage. "That's far enough!" the Witch in black challenged, despite the fact that Mima wasn't planning on going closer anyways.

"I'm here on behalf of the Court of High Magic," Mima explained while Yuuka tried to get a reaction out of the Witch in white. "I've been tasked-"

"I know why you're here," Shinki interrupted. "One of my Daemons has decided she's no longer bound to this realm. Dematrois is one of the more powerful of the Frost Daemons. She's more than capable of casting magic, and can even alter memories."

Mima hesitated for a moment. "So, you're asking us to hunt her down?" she asked.

Shinki hesitated as well. "Not necessarily," she said. "I want you to find her, yes, but I want you to help her adjust to the other Realms. Dematrois is used to the safe haven that is Makai. Once she left, she slowly lost that protection and became vulnerable to whatever harm may confront her."

Mima let out a breath. "So you're asking us to train her in defending herself without killing mortals, is that correct?" she asked. It was a tall order, considering she had to find Dematrois first.

"That is correct," Shinki confirmed. "To help you find Dematrois, my two apprentices, Yuki and Mai," the two Witches stepped forward in unison, "will accompany you on your mission. Girls? Kindly introduce yourselves."

The fedora-wearing Witch spoke up first. "Name's Yuki," she introduced. "I specialize in Pyromancy. It's an honor to work with an Archmage from the Court."

When Yuki had finished introducing herself, the blue-haired Witch spoke up. "My name is Mai," she introduced. "I'm a Cryomancer. Don't get in my way."

Mima gulped while Yuuka snickered softly. "I'm not an Archmage yet," Mima explained. "Won't be 'til after the mission's over."

"Regardless, you still need to both look and act the part," Yuuka mentioned quietly. "As far as the two impressionable girls coming with us are concerned, you are an Archmage." Mima sighed. Somehow, she was beginning to wonder what had possessed her to request that Yuuka come along. She supposed it was just the desire for a conversation partner, but still, the remarks were beginning to get annoying.

She hoped neither of the Witches were as chatty as Yuuka.


End file.
